My research focuses on Alzheimer’s Disease. I’m
particularly interested in issues that affect daily functioning, because
daily functioning is where it’s at regardless of the severity of memory
problem. It's the ability to function on a daily basis that influences
whether people need supervision and whether they can remain in their home
settings.
I’m currently funded by the National Institute of
Mental Health to look at the relationship of daily functioning,
particularly in the areas requiring visuo-spatial skills, and
neuropsychological test data. Visuo-spatial is concerned with the
perception of where things are located in space. Individuals with visuo-spatial
impairment have difficulty with dressing, difficulty finding their way,
and often have trouble moving around objects.
I’ve become aware that, in addition to the
impairment in visuo-spatial functioning commonly seen in Alzheimer’s
Disease, many Alzheimer patients experience visual deficits, e.g.
impairments in contrast sensitivity, color discrimination, and depth
perception. Currently, I’m beginning pilot work to measure visual status,
both in a more traditional sense, with an ophthalmology exam, but
additionally doing some specialized vision testing to see how that affects
the performance of selected daily activities. The importance of this is
that while we can’t change the biology of what’s happening in the brain at
this time, we may find that it is useful to modify the environment to
compensate for the visual deficits.
